10 Crazy Ways Humans Have Been Getting High For Centuries

Humans have been finding ways to get high for centuries. Aside from the use of cannabis dating back thousands of years, there are quite a few ways to get high that date back even further. In fact, some of them were never banned. For both medicinal and spiritual purposes, here are ten ways humans have been getting high for centuries.

1. Belladonna

If you think you know why exactly witches fly on broomsticks, think again. Belladonna, also known as “deadly nightshade,” is a substance that supposedly will have you soaring high in the skies.

But to get there, female shamans from the Middle Ages rubbed long sticks (brooms) with hallucinogenic “flying ointment” (of which, Belladonna is the main ingredient) into the mucous membranes of their vaginas.

2. The DMT bean

Also known as Anadenanthera, the DMT bean lays in the grasslands of Latin America. This substance, in particular, is dried and crushed into a hallucinogenic ritual snuff. It’s quite potent and appears in creation myths of several cultures.

3. LSA

Before LSD, there was LSA, which has similar effects. During the most important Periclean Age’s ritual, the initiation rites of the Eleusinian Mysteries, LSA came into play. Young Greeks would bathe, fast, recite texts, and partake in a central ritual that includes a fungus ergot beverage, which contains LSA.

4. Henbane

Aside from being a poisonous spiritual plant, Henbane works as a rather powerful sedative and a proto-painkiller. Although it’s easy to find in the forest, you must know how to use it properly, or you’ll risk death.

5. Khat

Another plant stimulant is Khat, which is one of the oldest drugs in the Horn of Africa and the Arabian Peninsula. As a result of chewing the leaves, you supposedly get energy and a mild sense of euphoria. Moreover, its active ingredient is Cathinone, which is also found in bath salts.

6. Betel Nut

Betel Nut is a warm low-grade stimulant that remains popular in Asia to this day. Consequently, this substance is responsible for the continent’s high oral cancer rates. In like manner of chewing tobacco, users keep the nut pouched in the lip.

7. Ibogaine

Ibogaine is also from Africa but is far much stronger than Khat, it’s the alkaloid Ibogaine inside the bark of the shrub Tabernanthe Iboga.

Aside from its use being a part of various rituals and ceremonies, it’s also used to battle addiction to substances like meth and heroin. In fact, studies show that Ibogaine can actually alleviate the physical pains of opioid withdrawal.

8. Cannabis

In general, people have been toking for as long as anyone can remember. In fact, there are not many substances that are as old as cannabis.

Hemp has been discovered as long as 10,000 years ago in many ancient artifacts. Many scholars believe that cannabis helped to develop agriculture, solely because you can make clothing and rope with it. Of course, everyone loves cannabis, even our ancestors.

9. Peyote

Peyote is the most popular hallucinogen in North America. Before US courts even existed in the 20th century, the native tribes of Mexico were consuming the cactus. As a result of chewing the buttons, you get the ultimate trip, which is used for medicinal and spiritual purposes.

10. Opium

Since the middle of the fourth millennium BC, humans have been using Opium. Derived from poppy flowers, Opium made its way to Europe, East Asia, through the Silk Road. These days, opium is everywhere, from hospitals to street corners.